Resilient humans: Harnessing our immune system to protect us from infection, injury and invasion

Resilient humans: Harnessing our immune system to protect us from infection, injury and invasion

Date & time: 5.30pm 12 September 2019
Location: Theatre 2, Cultural Centre, Building 153 Kambri Precint University Avenue Acton - View in map
Speakers: Professor Si Ming Man, The Australian National University

Infectious diseases, such as food poisoning, sepsis, and pneumonia, are responsible for one-third of deaths in the world.

Foodborne diseases, for example, are a major threat to public health, mostly affecting children in developing countries.

Infections by multidrug-resistant bacteria have also reduced the efficacy of antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial infection.

The immune system is critical in controlling infections and ensuring our survival. Identifying new components of the immune system that can be targeted by drugs can help prevent or treat potentially deadly infections.

In this public lecture, we will discuss our research studies on the biology of the immune system and the importance of the immune system in recognise microbes, injury and invasion. We will also discuss how too much inflammation can lead to the development of chronic diseases, such as cancer and autoinflammatory diseases.

About the speaker

Professor Si Ming Man received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, for his work on the immune system in the host defense against the foodborne bacteria Salmonella.

He obtained his postdoctoral training from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, USA, where he studied the role of the immune response in infection and cancer.

Currently, he is an NHMRC Career Development Fellow at The Australian National University, Australia, where his laboratory focuses on understanding the immune system in response to toxins, bacteria, and cancer.

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